Tuesday, September 13, 2016

The Bungalow - Landscaping!

We've been in the Bungalow for almost two months. Most of that time has been spent working on the outside. We chose to do that for a reason. The last three years at the fixer upper have been tough on both of us, but especially David. He didn't have a shop or a yard to piddle in. Gardening and building things are how he relaxes. So we decided we would do the outside stuff first and then work on the inside this winter.

We did enough on the inside to make it habitable and comfortable enough before he started outside. As is his custom, he's been very busy and very productive.

Fencing

You can see photos of the fencing in the last post. David built a farm-type fence with a combination of taller fencing and shorter fencing. Also,the fence is wood but some of the fenced areas also have wire cattle fencing. Those sections are where the grandkids and dog play. In my last post, he was almost finished with the fencing except for a few gates. The gates are all done, including this one to the right of the garage. It's a large gate which allows him to drive into the back yard and get the mower back there.

Front Sidewalk

David didn't like the way the sidewalk from the front door ended before it got to the driveway. So he took an afternoon and fixed it.

Landscaping

And then he moved on to some pretty serious landscaping. Check out the difference.

This area is to the right of the front steps.

The east side of the house.

The back corner between the house and the garage.

He will be doing more to this area but for now he planted a tree. When I'm doing
dishes and look out the window, I can see the tree.

He hasn't done ANY landscaping in the back. Want to know why?

And finally, just last night David did one small thing to the inside of the house. I have to tell you that it made me really, really happy. I think the reason it made me so happy was that it gave me hope. I spend a lot of time in this house in its current state and it's pretty ugly. But last night he installed a new door in the family room (side entrance) and it's absolutely beautiful. Every time I look at it I'm reminded that the inside of this house won't always be so ugly.

Here's the new door. By the way, he stumbled across it at Home Depot or Lowes, I can't remember which, in a clearance section and got it for $200. If you've priced doors lately, you know that's a steal. We were doubly excited because it was exactly what we wanted and the price was awesome.

The old door was a hollow core door and the sun had really done a number on the finish.
My grandkids have enjoyed picking off the long strands of peeling wood.

While power tools are a little more expensive than hand tools, they really cut down on the hard labor. The most essential piece of gardening equipment is undoubtedly the tiller. The tiller will break up the ground and get it ready for planting, chop up any debris, and help mix in fertilizer and compost. suncast elements